Force It
by tinkerbellbones
Summary: Quinn Fabray handles her unexpected pregnancy in two ways.  First, she manipulates the short-term details.  Second, she ignores the long-term consequences.  Spoilers through current U.S.-aired episodes.


**Author's Note: **I was once told, "Write what you know." That's easier said than done, but I've really enjoyed the Finn/Quinn/Puck = Beth storyline that progressed throughout Season One. I really hope to see it make a comeback, in a matter of speaking. Regardless, the subject is one that's a bit near and dear to my heart, and I felt as though it deserved some more exploration. I'm uncertain as to how long this story will continue, and this is my first time writing for Quinn, but I'll do my best and hope that my muse cooperates. This is un-beta-ed and I take full responsibility for any errors.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

It's something that she should have known. She isn't one of _those_ cheerleaders, one of the stupid ones [like Brittany, but she won't say that out loud]. She's the president of the Celibacy Club and the reigning Queen of McKinley High and this is just something she should know.

When she thinks about it, what she remembers is wine coolers, a hangover, and the question of _did I really do that?_ racing through her mind. Nothing else had mattered at the moment except the wine coolers - which she may never try again, thanks to this whole experience - and the confirmation of Puck's words. _You're not fat_. He'll say anything to get into a girl's pants. She's known Puck for years. She knows this. So, maybe she _is_ one of those cheerleaders. One of the stupid ones, she means. If _trust me _is a sensible birth control option, then the square root of four might just be rainbows.

If she's thankful for anything in this ticking time bomb that her life has suddenly become, it's that for all that she might be one of those stupid cheerleaders - Finn is pretty stupid, and she can exploit that. She has perfectly good reasons for exploiting the situation - and she doesn't want to use that word, _exploit_, but she can't come up with a better one right now. She doesn't want to lose him, because Finn is Finn, and he's got a heart of gold and a sense of integrity that money can't buy. For all that she'd wanted to hear the validation of herself from the lips of Noah Puckerman, McKinley High School's resident manwhore and Seasonal Cougar Hunter, Finn is the only one she wants by her side while she deals with this. He's stable. Puck is anything but.

She knows why she wants to exploit the situation, and Finn makes it almost too easy for her. The boy has clearly listened during their Christ Crusaders meetings about making the baby angels cry, and it takes no effort on her part [except for a few well-timed glances and implied statements] to convince him that their night in her hot tub was enough to cause _this_ to happen. Finn's embarrassed enough about his - _problem_ - that he's not going to go ask Coach Tanaka or Puck or probably even his _doctor_ if what Quinn tells him happened is actually even possible. She's counting on his continued embarrassment to ensure his silence.

She knows why she wants to exploit the situation, and she knows exactly how to exploit the situation. She's planned this entire _tableau_ but hasn't exactly pulled together a long-term plan that will allow her to keep the Cheerios, to keep her social status as the Queen of McKinley High, to keep her relationship with her parents - the only thing she's assured of keeping is her boyfriend, Finn Hudson. Amazingly, that's all the comfort she needs for the moment. In the early days, she can pretend like none of this exists; she's on top and it will be a cold day in hell before that changes.

When she tests, she tests alone, silently, and swallows her sob because this is something that nobody can know. She alone knows the truth. If she has it her way, things will stay that way.

When the morning sickness hits and she realizes that she doesn't have to use spoons or her fingers anymore to stay thin for the Cheerios, she's quietly thrilled. While everyone on the team does it, no one talks about it. It's a silent victory for her, one that Finn would hate and that nobody outside the team would understand. When the morning sickness lasts all day and spilling the contents of her stomach in a toilet in the girls' restroom during fourth period does absolutely nothing to relieve the room-spinning nausea, it becomes a curse instead of a blessing. Man Hands stumbles into the bathroom at one point as Quinn is clutching the toilet and gagging [because Quinn knows those knee socks] and even _she_ attributes it to Quinn's position on the Cheerios.

It's too easy. She should have realized at that point that nothing is ever that easy.


End file.
